Howick and Pakuranga Times : Howick and Pakuranga Times Monday November 24

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12 — Howick and Pakuranga Times, Monday, November 24, 2014
www.times.co.nz
127699-V3
Knowing what the punters want
By Chris harrowell
iN THE more than two decades
he’s been publicly laying down
grooves at dance clubs around the
country, Sam Hill has seen, done, and
played it all.
The former East Auckland resi-
dent’s talent and hard work have
helped make him one of Auckland’s
leading house music DJs.
“From a financial point of view it
still pays its way and I enjoy what I
do,” he told the Times.
“Making music goes hand in hand
with playing it.
“I really enjoy being in dance clubs
and part of the house music scene.”
Hill moved with his parents from
Northern Ireland to Howick at age
10. His proud mum Carol Hill is
Times Newspapers’ accounts pay-
able manager.
Her son’s passion for DJing is as
strong as when he started learning
how to work with turntables and
vinyl records about 25 years ago.
Hill is a regular performer at
Bosun’s Bar at The Good Home in
Picton Street, as one half of the house
music duo Jetski Safari, with George
FM (96.6) radio station broadcasting
colleague Dean Campbell.
“Every couple of months we do an
out-of-town gig,” says Hill, who lives
in Freemans Bay, Central Auckland.
“We used to do regular shows at
a dance club in Brisbane, Australia,
but that stopped when the venue
changed hands.
“We’re hoping to soon launch a
miniature summer tour and are play-
ing at the Homegrown music festival
in Wellington next March.”
Hill says when he and Campbell
publicly launched Jetski Safari, the
concept started out as something of
an inside joke at George FM.
“We didn’t have anything particu-
lar in mind for it,” he says.
“We recorded a song, entitled Like
a Lie, and sent it to Australia.
“The singer Helen Corry sang on
it and sent it back to us. That was in
2012.”
Hill played the single over the
George FM airwaves and got a posi-
tive response.
“It was well-received, which rein-
forced things for us, so we decided to
make more songs.
“The bookings for us to perform
public gigs started coming through
thick and fast.”
Jetski Safari’s gigs are known to
feature an instrument not commonly
heard in dance clubs, a saxophone
played by musician Hamish Crocker.
“We added him to our shows as he
brings something a bit quirky, rather
than it just being us two DJs,” says
Hill.
“When Helen [Corry] is in town
she performs with us as well.
“We mainly perform in New Zea-
land and Australia, but have been
offered the chance to do things in
other countries.
“We’ve always wanted to be asked
to perform based on our merits.”
Hill has opened for some of the
biggest names in the house music
business, including Dutch DJ Tiesto
and Scottish dance club maestro
Calvin Harris.
He plays lively weekly gigs at the
Sweat Shop Brew Kitchen in Cen-
tral Auckland from 8-11pm on Fri-
days, and at the Longroom licensed
premises in Ponsonby, from 7-11pm
on Saturdays.
Hill has witnessed many changes
over the years in the Kiwi house
music scene.
“The change to the smoking law
[in 2004] had a fairly big impact,” he
says.
“People used to stay in a dance
club for seven or eight hours and it
was easier to play to them.
“Now, if they’re going outside
every 15 minutes for a cigarette, they
disconnect themselves a bit from
what’s happening in the venue.
“It takes people time to get back
into the mood and dancing again.”
Hill’s also noticed a change in the
average age of his public house music
audience.
“The crowds are younger than they
used to be,” he says.
“When the drinking age was low-
ered to 18 [in 1999], there was an
influx of binge-drinking youths
on the scene and that changed the
dynamics a little bit.
“Some of them were going out just
to get trashed, so they didn’t absorb
what the DJ was doing.
“You have to take the good with
the bad.”
Hosting a weekly radio show on
George FM from 10am-midday on
Fridays gives Hill a chance to publicly
explore his unique musical tastes.
He enjoys performing in places
such as Howick, as it offers a differ-
ent atmosphere from downtown.
“When you’re playing at a club in
the central city people act a certain
way,” says Hill.
“Out in the suburbs, because you
may only play there every six months,
it’s seen as more of an event.”
One night in particular from about
15 years ago sticks in Hill’s mind
when asked about strange experi-
ences during his DJ career.
“I once had a gig in New Ply-
mouth,” he says.
“The music stopped at the end of
the night, but people started chant-
ing for more.
“They were told the gig was over
and audience members tore down
the DJ booth.
“When they were finally kicked
out of the club some of them started a
big fire over the road.
“I was staying at a hotel above the
venue and could see the fire from my
room.
“That was pretty scary.”
MIX MASTER: Sam Hill has made a great name for himself as one of Auckland’s
top house music DJs.
Times photo Chris Harrowell